Poetry: The Icelandic Language

The Hammock Papers shares an evocative poem from Bill Holm, The Icelandic Language:

In this language, no industrial revolution;
no pasteurized milk; no oxygen, no telephone;
only sheep, fish, horses, water falling.
The middle class can hardly speak it.

In this language, no flush toilet; you stumble
through dark and rain with a handful of rags.
The door groans; the old smell comes
up from under the earth to meet you.

Read the rest, here.

More on Holm, here and here.

This poem, apparently, comes from a collection, The Dead Get By With Everything.

 

Photo by Ghost Presenter on Unsplash